Chapter 4 | Luke?! Daddy is here!
He didn't know how long had passed. Ages but that did not matter right now.
James sat with his legs crossed. Eyes closed and hands pinched like he was a Shaolin monk. Fancy robes adorned him. They felt more expensive than some car brands. Maybe a used car?
If he wasn't wrong, these gold lines that ran down the soft white fabric weren't just colored thread. They were actual, real gold.
As in the precious metal gold!
How rich did someone have to be to wear something so ostentatious? James could have only dreamed of something like this. Not it becoming reality. He wasn't sure any emperor back on earth could wear a dragon's hoard worth of wealth on their clothes like this. Worse yet was he matched the bedazzling robes with solid wood sandals that clicked and clacked.
Like he was Samurai Jack.
Foolish Samurai Warrior!
Aku's famous one liner. That was the only thing he remembered of the cartoon character. A singular line he seemingly repeated every time he was on screen. Multiple times. On repeat. And yet it was the most important line in the entire series.
Without Aku's unrelenting desire to fuck Jack over, not considering the only weapon that could kill him, he would have conquered the world in a quarter of the time it took the show to run. Less time if he was more economically motivated rather than genocidal.
James frowned. He scrunched up his eyes.
Focus!
Focus!
Fo-cus!
Be the tree… or a boulder. Is a mountain a better example? Strong winds can tear trees out of the ground, right?
He shook his head.
Focus!
James could finally say he could sit there and meditate. Blank mental state without letting his thoughts stray. It had been the only reason he hadn't jumped off the island's edge yet. It allowed him a moment to touch grass and ground himself.
Reset his mind.
Insanity was only a few steps away, he feared. This was the medicine to delay it.
He had to struggle for what felt like years to finally reach this point of serenity of thought. He also knew that he was about to reach his maximum duration of meditation soon. Mind growing increasingly more frayed at the edges. It made it difficult to not think of random things.
This was his current field to improve. Progress was extremely slow. And seeing an actual difference tended to be much further down the line due to the tiny changes rather than any big reward.
Good thing he had more than enough time to just waste sitting here doing nothing. Thinking nothing.
James was aware that decades, if not centuries, had passed since his first arrival. He also recognized that time did move ever so slightly. Slowly ticking even if it took a century to count as something he could perceive with his eyes.
His calendar had become his facial hair. James now sported a long willowy beard that reached his chest and a long ponytail he let grow without touching it.
Shaving his beard every century or so when his beard reached his navel. Issue was that he had lost count after the third time.
He couldn't help but shiver at the thought of being here for thousands of years. Maybe he should embrace his current Shaolin phase. Go fully bald and no beard. That idea was quickly disposed of. James had a weird head. Too many bumps and unsightly knots from constantly falling and banging his head on the ground.
Balance had not been his strong suit back on earth.
As a relatively average guy, that was a gargantuan problem. He wasn't dashing to begin with, any extra disadvantage could only make his already bad prospects even worse. The beard hid his thin chin and gave him a mysterious look he enjoyed. He considered it a boost.
Congratulations on exceeding your limit!
Reward 12,922 exp
Reward 78 Superior Mana stones
Reward Ancient Primordial Destruction Dao - Evil 30% completion
Reward DragonsWrath - Spear Weapon
He sighed. A bag full of mana stones clinked next to him.
A long black spear stabbed into the earth between his crossed legs like butter. Stopping only after reaching a foot deep. Red serpentine dragon designs showed them locked in battle. Going up the shaft towards the blade.
They looked photo realistic. He could have been fooled to believe they were if he didn't know better.
Both items disappeared with a wave of his hand. Directly into his inventory rice bag. He had gotten numb to all the amazing things that kept appearing before him. Mana stones by the boatload. Different ultimate, omega, alpha, superior Dao. Cultivation techniques to rend the skies. Spells to call for a tsunami. Magic.
All of these things had become common rewards now. But they might as well not have shown up. The system interface was still locked.
Dao being integrated! Ancient Primordial Destruction Dao!
James closed his eyes. Expecting the lightheadedness that assaulted his senses. The world warped around him, a stronger reaction than any he had seen before. Every point of the island began to groan, shrinking and expanding. Close to collapse.
As abruptly as it had arrived, it disappeared. Everything returned to normal.
Ancient Primordial Destruction Dao - System has fully integrated!
He stood up. Staring at his hands. He knew more than he should have realistically after they appeared and integrated. The system doing the majority of the work, but he knew it was only a shallow understanding. System integration would never allow him full knowledge of specific Dao.
Never truly able to touch them.
James could feel the new Dao's power rumble under the surface. He shifted into a tight boxing pose. Elbows tucked, orthodox stance. Fists not fully closed. He started to jab and throw combinations, letting the end Dao free to increase his might.
The quantified increase in his strength was apparent to him this time with it, but the ultimate test was not too far away. Leisurely walking towards the biggest tree on the island was a perfect way to hide his anxiety. He stared up at his natural nemesis.
"How long have we been together, old friend?" James said. Not expecting a response.
Some of the stupidest and most mortifying days had passed with him trying to kick or punch this tree down. Yet it stood there unchanged. Unswayed by his desperate attempts to bring it down.
James had leveled up considerably. The last one had taken him nearly seven hundred thousand experience points. Considering even a few points were allocated per level. He should have been able to leave a mark. Fist imprint. Dent. Damage. Anything at all!
Or even make it wobble slightly at a minimum.
He took a deep breath. Closed his eyes and channeled every single power reserved in his system. All the Daos and upgrades to his attributes. Every single ounce of power, magic, soul, and Qi he could muster into a single strike with his fist.
Channeling his inner Mike Tyson. He prepared to throw the meanest counter right hook his enhanced body could launch. With the extended generations of practice he got, maybe he was like Mike—
Nah. Mike would probably eat me on ferociousness alone.
James let out. He threw his world shaking punch with every iota of effort he could put.
Unbeknownst to him, the world froze behind him. Clouds stopped drifting. The sunlight wavered. The sky flashed black. Eyes that contained galaxies opened, tearing a thousand rifts in the sky. It glared at the tree. Affronted that it would dare stand before its master.
It opened its maw. Filled with an endless abyss. Roaring silently and channeling its power into James's punch. Spiderweb cracks rushed across reality on the island. The fabric of space was tearing itself apart. All behind his back.
James's fist landed on the tree. Exorbitant power rushed through his limbs into the tree trunk. It relished destroying a new enemy—
Nothing happened.
The cracks in reality sealed up. The fabric of space healed. Skies returned to normal and clouds floated away silently. Every ounce of energy he had thrown was sucked up greedily by the tree, continuing to power the island's functions. It struggled to keep up with the destructive energies, but the Qi, mana, and spiritual energy it absorbed became more than enough to repair everything within moments and save some on top.
It all happened without him noticing, faster than he could blink.
James stared at his nemesis. Unchanged. Unwavering.
Am I still that weak?
He could feel a nasty taste fill his senses. The constant practice and feeling of growing more powerful. Was the rush of indomitable power fake? Or was he hallucinating it all after thousands of years on this island.
Why does this same thought trail happen every so often? Weren't existential crises meant to be once in a lifetime type of thing? Everything here couldn't be just a dream right? Fake images and notes of progress to keep him alive while twenty different tubes ran through him like a machine. A vegetable on a hospital bed.
He couldn't help but have his shoulders sag. Filled with disappointment.
"Gah! Fuck this!"
James pulled out the latest world shattering weapon he had received. One of a few hundred already. The majority were dragon slaying this, titan crusher that, leviathan demolisher those. This one had six dragons locked in battle.
Each one looked photo realistic.
DragonsWrath - Spear Weapon
He held the spear in his hand. Allowing himself the time to fully study its design and gorgeousness. It helped him forget the tree behind him. Every one of the six dragons seemed to shift and move. Alive in eternal combat.
James spun the spear. It sang in a unique sound like dragons roaring. It was a piece made with dedication and love.
It instantly became his favorite. The rest were good, but not this level good. He couldn't help but laugh when he noticed their little eyes glowed with every swing and stab. Leaving six pairs of trailing black and red light. One even had a missing leg! And yet it looked the most dominant between them.
Another skinny and scrawny. A third chubby with fat cheeks and a hungry look.
His eyes pause on the last one. A cold sweat trickled down his forehead. This one looked terrifying compared to the rest. It wasn't the way it roared or its angry snarl. No, it was the cold glint of an emotionless killer that exuded its body. It would destroy nations and make entire races go extinct without batting an eyelid.
James couldn't help but commend the makers of the spear. That was real mastery.
Is this how Mc's look in cultivation stories after going murder hobo?
The thought of going down that line sent a shiver down his spine. It terrified him that he would become an emotionless killer burning down entire villages for the fun of it. Or even a slight disagreement. Would he become so callous and cold that death no longer bothered him? What would be the point in life if he somehow unlocked the system only to turn murder hobo?
He knew enough of life to know that what went around came around invariably. You reaped what you sowed no matter how far you run. It may not be today, or even a year later, but it always caught up. The world conspired to demolish them for their injustice.
James could only imagine it would be a hundred folds greater in a magical or cultivation world with actual Daos. Heavenly punishment or something to that tune if he recalled properly.
The spear roared as he continued to swing, stab, and twirl it. He laughed like a maniac. Unwilling to stop. The thing zipped and whooshed. The faster he went the more it sounded like a lightsaber! He couldn't help but imagine it. A red like Dark Vader's. He took a proud stance. Deep, loud, haggard breathing escaped him.
"Do not choke on your aspirations!" James extended his free hand. Willing the force to choke his enemy. He pulled them closer, cutting his imaginary foe in half with his makeshift lightsaber.
"Your lack of faith is disturbing!" He threw another over the island's edge. Laughing at their demise. He snapped the neck of a third. More charged him but it was pointless. James 'Dark Vader' Anderson was unstoppable!
"Luke?!" His voice cracked. "I am your father!"
James laughed his heart out. The inner child affording him rare moments of peace.
Chapter 5 | Old People Quotes
James watched as a single lazy cloud drifted below the island. He had been staring down the edge for what felt like ages. Endless skies stretching further than his eyes could catch. Maybe there was something down there? Hidden by the vast distances between them.
He doubted it. James couldn't imagine an end to his inevitable fall. Mind unable to cope or willing to let hope remain in his chest. Then again, if he squinted hard enough, he could swear he saw another set of clouds even further down.
But he couldn't be too sure.
Fuck…
He sighed. Closing his weary eyes. Whole body felt heavy and lumbersome. Even with the enhanced strength and meditation he received, there was a limit. Said limit turned out to be insomnia for the past few… James couldn't remember the last time he had gotten any deep sleep.
Basic naps and shut eye were rare. No matter how badly he needed it.
It was after the third bout of endless insomnia did he finally figure out that his time on this island was over. He had overstayed his welcome. Monotony and a lack of anything other than training, meditation, and eating rice had finally gotten to him.
Is this purgatory? Why? How? What am I supposed to do here?
There had to be an end to the uninterrupted torture of seclusion. It couldn't be just this and the constant notifications of rewards and level ups. There had to be more on this island. A way out, someone or something to do with what he experienced?
James took a deep breath.
Calm.
He allowed the eons of constant meditation, that being the only source of rest he could figure out, still his thoughts. It was getting difficult to stop the spiraling negativity and perpetual meaningless questions. The same ones he'd go through every couple thousand years.
There was no point in dwelling on them. It did little to benefit him in any way, shape, or form. Much less help him escape this prison of solitude. What good would knowing the distance to the moon…? How large the sun was…? Or what a random person back on earth was doing.
None of it mattered as long as he was here.
In a world separated from the need to understand. What value does the scholar have? Why would the bee need to measure the distance between it and the moon?
James couldn't help but laugh at his situation. He had begun thinking old peoples' quotes at some point. The longer he stayed here the more they abruptly appeared in perfect places. Solidifying his thoughts into fancy quotes. It had gotten bad lately.
The natural feel and perfect course of explaining what he was struggling to vocalize. It made too much sense to him too.
He shivered.
Bees only lived for about a month. Their entire existence revolved around the concept of working and accomplishing its task within the bounds of 'bee society'. Whole lives used up with no concept of 'greater than' or time to stop and think.
Playing their part to perfection.
James could remember articles about bees being endangered back on earth. How it would take something along the lines of seven years for the world to end if there were no pollinators of that calibre.
He shook his head.
Not here nor there—
He shook his head again. Another old person saying was about to escape him.
It had a point though. Now was only time for the end. James shifted in his spot. Toes without any support under them. Loose dirt fell off the island, disappearing after a few seconds.
James held tightly to his favorite spear. He leaned on DragonsWrath to prevent his ultimate fall. The dragons on its shaft seemed to weep, glistening red tears disappearing into the air. It had been by his side for ages. Longer than he could remember.
The thought of life before it was distant and difficult to recall with any great details.
Six dragons, carved into DragonsWrath, responded to his emotions. Loud and snapping during his bouts of anger. Quiet and remorseful during his phases of depression and loneliness. Keeping him sane and alive even when the system notification had all but disappeared. They had become sparse and far in between long years of waits.
Made it sound like he was at an unimaginable level. Yet here he was still a mortal. The results were always the same no matter how hard he trained or after how many eons he had been at it. No qi. No magic. No spiritual energy. No system status.
And his nemesis stood proud behind him. Bigger and more vibrant than ever before.
Eons upon eons were filled with his constant struggles. In hopes that it would make the suffering and mental torture worth it. Like some fantasy novel that ended but the collective 'power of friendship'.
"Here I am. An example of the perpetual state of man. Always looking for better. Forgetting what we already have." James said. A sad smile graced his face.
Yep. I'm doomed.
James let his body fall. Hands spread and robes billowing behind him. Falling gracefully. His hair trailed behind him, whipping back and forth; he had given up on cutting it at some point in the past. Beard stuffing his face and blinding him.
Shit!
He reached with both hands to get it out of his face and mouth. Eventually forced to turn and look back up at the island getting smaller. More comfortable than his hair trying to invade his privacy. His attempt only sent him spiraling out of control.
Shit!
James thought again. Quickly maneuvering, fighting against the wind. He had forgotten his favorite spear had been in his hands as he fell. James forgot he was trying to exude peace and acceptance. Forgetting his grace.
He fought to straighten out. Swimming through the air towards its hurtling form.
It outpaced him. Cutting through the air with impunity. He could hear his dragons roar against the wind. Letting their presence be known to all that would listen including him.
Fuck this! That spear is a sentimental artifact!
He wrapped his fluttering robes around his body. Pressed his hands together and tried to push himself forward. Attempting to become as aerodynamic as Humanly possible. His heavier weight allowed him to gain ground.
Slowly catching up to it.
They blasted through multiple levels of clouds. One after the other without end. The countless layers allowed him the time to finally catch up.
James caught his spear with both hands. Laughing and pumping his hands in triumph. Fully focused on the task at hand and more importantly, closing his eyes at the ecstasy of victory he had felt.
Forgetting he was free falling.
Chapter 6 - Zhong Flames
Zhong An grabbed at the flames. The brazier on the other side of his secluded cultivation hall snapped back and forth. It transformed into a Long Dragon. Roaring to show its incredulous might. A shadow of who Zhong An had been.
Being in seclusion for the past eighty years had not done good for his old bones. Body struggling to stay together in one single piece. He felt like an old puppet that had a forgetful puppet master. It took conscious effort just to keep his body from failing due to old age.
Complex balls of Qi threads wrapped around and inside him. A facade of what had once been indomitable strength.
If his enemies had known his state today. The conditions he lived in.
Zhong An closed his eyes and grit his teeth. He could imagine the flames they called their own burning them to the ground. Buildings collapsing as foes tore through them. Slaughtering all his sons and daughters. Killing his elders and disciples.
Vultures! Hyenas! All of them!
Even his own kin and progeny would see him in a grave had they a choice on the matter. The majority wondered when he would finally keel over and die. He could see their scheming eyes and taunt forces ready for battle. Preparing for the day he died.
Seeing their eagerness and unwillingness to hide their greed only drove him to struggle harder. Break through into the Heavenly Sage realm!
Couldn't they have the propriety and shame to hide their leaking killing intent in my presence?!
How many would need to be slaughtered for the coming Zhong civil war? Would his clan make it out of this dark tumultuous time? Did they not see Zhong enemies gathering their forces? Preparing their strength and armies to tear them limb from limb?
Could they be any more blind?!
Instead of providing for their brethren. Bettering the sect as a whole against the world that would see them destroyed. No. Each one wanted to be the patriarch. False leaders no one would ever respect. It wasn't a title to be inherited. Passed down to the mightest Zhong of every generation. Not who could collect the most allies and strongest forces.
Zhong An could feel his jaw chatter and creak.
Those unfilial. Undeserving. Wretches!
He coughed covering his mouth with a palm. Chest burning and lungs ached from century old injuries. He could feel hot liquid leak from the corners of his mouth. Looking down only showed him a palm covered in blood, pieces of his lungs torn to shreds.
Time was disappearing faster than he could keep track of. Yet he was too close to the next rank to give up. Five hundred years he purified his core for this. Five hundred more he gathered strength and Qi to break through the mountainous peak of the next realm.
Every moment he cultivated only brought him closer to his ultimate goal.
Zhong An could only hope he had enough time to kick down that imperceptible wall. Never a question of power for him. It was always an issue of whether he had enough moments as he crawled to his destination.
He felt the thick Qi in his Pinnacle Immortal Core circulate. Liquid flames surged in his glass core. The signature of his rank and clan. Fire was their oppressive domain. This Liquid core the ultimate strength he had ruled with. An iron fist among the righteous. Bane of their demonic ilk.
Strength filled his limbs. Memories of the time he had been the very peak of the Liquid realm. A long time ago—
Zhong An jumped in his meditation cushions. Startled. His head whipped to the right. Eyes searching the distance, piercing through the array formations and walls. All built to keep unwanted eyes out and aid his own secretive scrying.
The fabric of the world shook. Space a thousand miles away shifted back and forth. The disturbance was so powerful he couldn't pinpoint its epicenter accurately. Only a vague idea of where it was currently occurring.
Had a true monstrosity from the void entered their plane? The last recorded instance had required the entire world to form a coalition. Every single righteous immortal, demonic cultivator, dragon, beast, and demented creature. All to fight a single tentacled entity that had come to destroy them.
If the records were to be believed, said coalition had almost faltered in the end. Barely squeezing a pyrrhic victory in the end.
He paled as the first cracks appeared. Shaking as he watched the sky rending phenomena happen before his eyes. A claw erupted into reality. Tearing a hole in the fabric of reality. Zhong An crawled backwards. A second claw wrapped around the jagged edges of the ripped space. Scaled fingers flexing as they widened the gap.
It was then that he got a sense of scale. A maw that dwarfed a surrounding mountain forced its way into their world. Snout of red glistening scales and sharp teeth exposed due to a lack of lips. A dragon.
Zhong An could not miss the stump of a leg. The look of hate and arrogance that dripped from its primal being. Its long body kept coming out of the rift. Growing longer and longer, wrapping above in the sky like a coil. Dark clouds followed its wake. Thunder ripped the lands asunder.
It roared to the skies. A warning to any and all that dared listen to its terror.
His grip on his Qi wavered. The pitiful, tiny fire dragon he had made over the furthest brazier flickered and disappeared with his grip on the Qi. Zhong An struggled to get a hold of himself and the threads that kept him in one piece. Alive—
"God above. We are doomed," Zhong An whispered as another dragon made its way out of the portal. Wrapping around a mountain in its entirety.
Then a third appeared. Four. Five. Six.
One void being was enough to nearly bring the world to its knees. Six? That was a guaranteed execution. It was merely a formality at this point. A question of when these beasts, all clearly affiliated, decided to stop the farce that was this world's defiance and the existences on it.
All six mythical creatures turned. Lowering their gargantuan heads low. Zhong An watched as clear emotions crossed their visages. Had he not been so old and mentally strained, Zhong An would have thought it was fear they felt.
He forced himself to stand. Burning precious Qi that could have been used to push closer to the breakthrough. It was a mighty struggle of popping and buckling knees, snapping and cracking spine, and a final bout of dizziness. The last time he stood had been nearly a decade ago. Busy in his secluded mediation.
Flames surged from the floor. Zhong An stepped through them, reappearing in the sky above the lands and city of his people. He waved his hands. Large sigils appeared in the sky around him, activating ancient arrays and even larger barriers. Each one he had built with meticulous precision and intent.
Made to last an apocalypse.
The progeny of his loins appeared behind him. With them appeared all his elders too.
"Father?" His first born son approached him. Cautious. "Is everything fine?"
Zhong An ignored him. He dared not let his eyes roam from the rift thousands of miles away. Something was coming and he wanted to see what the hell had six mythical dragons shivering like berated children. Whatever it was, it could not have been good.
"—old man finally senile—" His fifth son whispered to his confidants.
The first continued to press for information. "Father?"
"Silence!" The first Elder of the Zhong Clan appeared. "You all are too weak to see!"
Elder Zhong Ping was the closest to Zhong An in power. And was the primary perpetrator of this whole war for dominance. Whispering promises and oaths to his children. Riling them up for battle and to prepare for a fight for his seat as Patriarch.
They all shut their mouths after his declaration. One more worried than the last.
Zhong An would kill his first Elder the moment he surpassed the Pinnacle Immortal Realm. He could not allow this man to sow chaos among his children. Allow this situation to happen once again. A great purge would eliminate the evil air that permeated their sect; primed for much bloodshed.
If needed, he would spawn a new generation of children. He only needed to get to work.
That had been the plan—
Zhong Ping gasped. Floating next to Zhong An.
"Oh heaven. Have mercy on your sinful child!" Zhong An prayed for the first time in his life. His pursuit had always been to defy his fate. Reach heights he was not destined for. And now he had nowhere to go except to heaven for prayer.
Black lightning cracked around the rift. Scorching the air and tearing the lands around it apart. Both Zhong An and Ping reeled back as they were hit by a force of pure unadulterated Great Dao.
The dragons bowed. Trembling before a shadow that descended upon mortal lands. Static interference and the sheer pressure the dragons exuded by merely existing made it impossible to lay eyes on the figure. But he could say it was human. Hands holding onto a mighty spear.
Hair stretched behind and above it. Three times its height. Robes that fluttered in the air. A sleeping form in a meditative pose. Power rippled from the figure, pulsing from the unconscious body. The dragons flinched with every wave that passed them. All six struggled to keep their heads up.
It opened its eyes. Releasing a powerful blast of Qi that ravished Zhong An's senses. For a moment, he floated in nothingness. The next he was being held by his elders. Body limp, eyes and meridians burned, his cultivation struggling not to collapse.
I'm not worthy to see… I…
The dragons and figure disappeared. The world returned to normal. The scarred lands would heal, rift had already disappeared, clouds moving away and breaking apart. No figure remained to herald their doom. As if it had all been a nasty nightmare that he would wake up from. Something harkening back to his mortal days.
His eyes drifted back to Zhong Ping who was being held up by his fifth son and entourage. His ruined eye twitched uncontrollably.
"Zhong Ping," An said, pushing away the help. They had the same look of terror on their faces. "There will be no Zhong Clan to fight for if I don't reach the Heavenly Sage realm. There will be no Zhong Clan if you do not follow me right after."
The man nodded. "I saved elixirs," he coughed blood into his hands. Wiping it on his robe. "Elixirs, heavenly spirit plants, and pills for my eventual breakthrough. You will need them urgently."
Slimy bastard! I could have used them half a century ago!
"Zhong Ping!" his fifth son shouted. His entourage threw Ping from their arms. "You dare renege on your Oath! What happened to the virtues of the Ancient Dao—"
Zhong An disappeared from his spot. Reappearing in front of his unfilial child. He smacked him. Even in his old and decrypt state, he had more than enough power to ruin this pitiful and insolent child. Only his undying love and devotion to his late mother kept him from it.
"Know your place." He said.
All the princes and elders stared in shock. None of his spawn had ever been reprimanded much less beaten or scolded harshly. For Zhong An to slap his most beloved child had them gulping in fear. Anyone of them could have been blood paste on the ground, dead, rather than the simple slap the fifth received.
The fifth prince bit his lip. Tears bubbled at the edges of his eyes. But he did not cry. The idiot was at least a hundred and fifty years old and was still a child. Immature and negligent. Irresponsible. His blind followers rushed to his side crying in his stead. Pulling him away to their private sectors and residences.
"Martial law will be in place henceforth!" Zhong An's voice echoed on the entire mountain. Every single Zhong clansman heard his words in their ears as though he was next to them. An array he was quite proud of. "No one is to leave the seclusion of our mountain. None shall leave without explicit permission. No one is to contact the outside world. If you fall behind in cultivation… You only have yourselves to blame for my harshness."
Every prince rushed away to their own residences. New plans and plots Zhong An was determined to crush with impunity. There was no more space for patience and the hope he would make it to the next greater realm. Only two choices remained for them.
Get in line. Or die outside of it.
His elders all gathered around his First Elder. Questioning what had happened, hoping to gain an understanding. Zhong An could see how they paled. The tremble in their limbs. Any time Zhong Ping and An had started working together, it meant the destruction of their clan was close. A critical point that forced them to put away their differences.
Zhong An nodded.
Good. We will need every bit of help we can get. Even if it means my insufferable first cousin would survive for another day.
Chapter 7 | Koi Fish?!
James opened his eyes. He looked around and found himself in a large cave that smelled like damp earth. Skittering creatures and the dripping of water echoed in the open, unobstructed area. It was dark, making it difficult to see his surroundings.
But his eyes readjusted faster then he expected.
Looking around did not help him figure out how he got here and why he was meditating on a mossy rock in the middle of a small glittering lake. Even in the darkness. Red Koi fish swam around him, six of them in total. Each one large enough to eat him in two bites.
The last thing he remembered had been closing his eyes as he hurtled down incredulous heights to a soon to be death via velocity or splattering on solid ground. If there had been any. Or Water. From the height he jumped, it would feel more like concrete than a shifting liquid.
James shivered at the thought.
What the hell was I thinking? Jumping off the ledge like that?
He looked left and found his spear piercing the solid stone. He used it to get up. Dust fell off him, enough to convince him he needed a proper wipe down. It seemed like he had been sitting there for ages. But that couldn't be possible. He'd be a skeleton by that point, right?
One thing he was sure of though. No one had visited this cave in years. Even from the slight distance he could see the dusty stone floors. Not even a single foot imprint on them. Just a constant dripping and insects skittering below stones in complex societies.
James searched the small lake. He wasn't confident he could jump the entire width in a single bound. Yes, he figured out that he was exceptionally athletic now due to the constant secret system leveling and occasional attribute point placed in his stead.
How athletic? He wasn't sure.
Instead he found another rock he could use as a stop in between his own and the shore. It would force him to walk around the edges of the cave to get back to the entrance, but that was better than being soaked by water. Especially with the robes he had on.
One small jump for James, one large leap for mankind!
James jumped. Launching himself straight over the targeted stone and into the river.
He scrambled to find a grip on anything. Doing his best to hold his breath. He could still see underwater, even with the increased lack of light.
Fuck!
One of the massive Koi fish turned its attention to him. James attacked the water with renewed vigor. Doing his best Micheal Phillps impression and smacking the water around him as hard as he could. It pushed him forward.
He looked back. The Koi fish had begun to swim towards him. Picking up speed. Maw opening with sharp teeth and beady eyes glowing with horrific amounts of hunger. James struggled harder. Pushing himself and his lungs past anything he had ever done before.
James pushed himself left. The Koi fish whizzed past him. A rocket. It started to loop back, nearly slamming into the walls. Every breaststroke took him a good distance. He was quite positive that it shouldn't have been launching him the way it did, but he wasn't going to be ungrateful. It had saved him already.
Even with his fast pace. The Koi fish barely missed him two more times.
He grabbed onto the edge of the lake stones. Pulled himself up with urgency. He had to jump out of the way as the Koi fish jumped out of the water snapping at his heels. James could see its large, sharp teeth more clearly out of the water. A bite would have snapped him in half.
James didn't stop scrambling away from the horrific thing until his back hit something solid. A stalagmite that jutted out of the floor. Taller than he was and hidden by the darkness.
The Koi fish tried to snap at him one more time before finally wiggling back into the water. Barely a splash from its re-entrance.
Congratulations on exceeding your limits!
Broke through an Isolated Domain!
Reward - 1,988,319 exp
Reward - The Vagrant King's Rice Bag
This should have been a good thing. James knew that being grateful he hadn't died was important. Making it to the other side somehow unscathed. And yet, he couldn't help but imagine that he had been transferred into a new isolated realm. One that was bigger and had a cave in it for aesthetics.
He needed to see someone. Anyone at all. It didn't matter if they were evil or arrogant young masters. Human contact. That was all he could ask for at this point.
James stood up. He went to clean himself but felt Qi escape him. An amount so tiny he almost missed it. His robes dusted themselves. A fresh feeling suffused him. It was as if he had taken a shower and wore clothes that had come out of the dryer.
Perfectly clean.
"That's new." His voice echoed in the cave.
He looked around until he found the entrance. It was smaller than he expected. Just enough for him to walk through comfortably, but not much more than that. He headed towards it. Dodging stalagmites and making sure he stayed clear of the large infestations of insects that made his skin crawl.
James stepped out of the cave. Closing his eyes from the blinding light that assaulted them. It took, again far quicker than he expected, a few moments until his eyes readjusted.
A view from a painting greeted him. Vibrant trees and thick foliage. Colorful flowers and weeds in between. Bird songs, a slight wind shaking the trees, and a hundred other sounds he couldn't quite place. It was warm, but not hot. Just perfect.
Stunning. Just stunning.
Even something as simple as this left him amazed. How long had he seen nothing but the same monotonous grass, river, and three trees. The same night skies. Same clouds floating above. It had driven him insane to not witness something new and unique.
This was it.
A rice bag appeared in mid air. It landed with a soft thump on the rocky ground around him. Just as he would have imagined a rice bag to sound like. James picked it up. Studying the odd texture, very much resembling his own rice bag, but newer.
If it was his spacial rice bag, then he lucked out for the first time in eons. There were so many things in there he could have made veritable mountains from each category. Weapons, gold coins, silver coins, clothes, manual, technique scrolls, and a hundred other things.
But not a single piece of armor present within it.
Just fancy robes that had pretty audacious claims for flimsy clothes. Scarves, shoes of both samurai sandals and clothing variety to match the ancient traditional eastern vibes. He could guess he had been isekai-ed to a cultivation world just from that alone. There were too many hints.
He opened the rice bag and immediately let out a relieved sigh. Everything was still there—
System integration complete!
A notification appeared in his vision. Hope bubbled in his chest. Maybe now that he left the island, the system would finally work. He couldn't help the joy that was spreading in his chest.
All stats configured!
All stats made easily accessible on the system interface!
The latest update allows its users to mentally control the amount of po..WeRReerr…
Error…
RrroorororErr…
"No." James whispered. Dreams cracking and hope beginning to shatter.
The system was quick to disappoint him just like usual.
System Malfunction -
Access denied!
Retrying Calibration -
Access denied!
Retrying Calibration -
Access denied!
James just sighed. At this point, he couldn't really force himself to care. The system had broken all his belief and hopes time and again. It wasn't anything new at this point. Deciding to off yourself tended to make a person more jaded. Near death experiences changed the perspectives of the people and the world that surrounds you.
Who cares if I don't have a system. I'm much stronger and faster than the average human.
Maybe even stronger than a peak athlete. He could make a fortune just competing against others and physically dominating them. Re-energize his competitive spirit. Not that he needed any monetary help. James was probably one of if not the richest person on the planet. The vast majority of his weapons were named. Each piece of clothing had special effects and gathered their own Qi from the world if given enough time.
He laughed at the idea of what amounted to this world paparazzi surrounding him trying to get a picture or a sound bite.
If it all got too much to deal with, he could just disappear and live the life of a secret billionaire with no one the wiser. Maybe off of a lake or an estate in a large city with a bunch of buxom maids. Start a brand new life and hopefully fall in love with a nice, cute lady that would pamper him.
Not a single person could claim they've worked harder than he had. Nobody had even lived long enough to be in the conversation or even start a sentence of that nature. He deserved to be treated like a king. Hand fed grapes by beauties
And…
He giggled to himself. Eyes turned starry. Already imagining every single tiny detail he could remember.
James shook his head. Attempting to clear the fog.
Not now!
The need to find civilization took precedence over everything else. The sheer embarrassment at getting caught with his proverbial pants down gooning had him in a burning fit. He coughed and sputtered. There was no way he would be able to live it down.
A second suicide attempt would have to occur at that point.
The fact he had existed for so long had changed him considerably. Mentally and spiritually. It had created a will so powerful and complete, he could control his most basic urges. It had driven him insane for the first few decades when he still believed there was an ancient tutorial master testing him. But James had overcome it with time. Just like everything else.
With time and place he could and would—
I will not simp!
He had not lived for untold eons to watch foot videos!
Chapter 8 | A Real Person?!
Someone gasped in the forest. Quiet and hidden by the orchestra of sounds within the forest.
But James heard it nonetheless. His senses proved beyond his expectations once more.
He spun in his spot. Eyes searching the foliage and bushes around. Until he caught a small figure hiding behind a tree. Standing there and gaping in shock at him. A little girl, no older than fifteen years old. Brunette hair and skeletal frame.
Gray robes hung loosely on her shoulders. Clearly too big for her frame. He could get larger details from this distance, but it was difficult to see her clearly with all the branches and leaves.
James gulped. He felt butterflies in his stomach.
A real person! This isn't a hallucination right?
He was confident he was not asleep. The Koi fish danger was real and heart wrenching. It couldn't have been all imagined, right? James thought about how it kept missing him. Always a few inches away, but never quite on target when attempting to eat him whole. How easily he escaped it.
James pinched himself discreetly.
Nope. Very much awake.
The pain was real at least. He didn't think dreams and hallucinations had basic painful stuff in the wholy unorganized messes they were.
Different emotions surged in his chest. Relief, joy, anxiety, even anger at the suffering he had to endure during his isolation. Finally he had been let out. Finally he had made it to a place where he wasn't alone and by himself.
A real person actually stood in front of him.
"Little girl," James said. His voice was raspy from disuse. He signalled her to approach by crooking his finger at her. "Come here."
The girl froze. A deer in headlights. He could see her start to tremble like a tree in a hurricane. She had thought James hadn't seen her yet.
James couldn't help but feel terrible for her. For all she knew he could have been a bandit, demon, or evil cultivator that would kidnap her and cut her up for body parts. Or maybe a spiritual beast or monster that would eat her for breakfast.
What is she doing out here alone?
Not that he minded at this moment. It just didn't seem safe unless she was a cultivator.
It took a moment but the girl approached almost unwillingly. James got a good look at her state. She was younger than his initial estimation. There was no way she was older than ten. Two basic wooden hair sticks kept her hair bunched up, though it was not done tightly.
Her robes were dirty and ragged. The sigil of a silver mountain had been embroidered onto her robe.
James couldn't help but feel even worse that he already was. The ancient world was not a good place for poor people. From the way her robes looked, the smudged dirt on her face and skin, and how messy her hair remained even with a hair stick. Everything pointed at a harsh life. One made worse by the existence of extraordinary powers in the form of cultivations.
Maybe she had been forced into child labor camps. Those were supposedly common in ancient times back on earth.
He doubted the girl would last long picking up large stones half her size.
"Where are your parents, little one? It's dangerous out in the open."
Hu Shui couldn't breathe. Something wrapped around her neck. Covering her mouth. As though she had dunked her head in water. It occurred the second she laid her eyes on the old man. She felt six mountainous gazes locked onto her instantly.
Each one enough to snuff out her existence if they so cared. In but a moment, she could become a memory forgotten.
She shook as they continued to study her. Watching and waiting for something.
Hu Shui couldn't help but curse her terrible curiosity. She couldn't help it. Her friend in the Silver Mountain Gang always warned her about the cat and how it had gotten killed. Brutally for being in the wrong place and wrong time. For the wrong purposes.
But she couldn't help but ignore them. An instinctual need to know what was going on drove her. She had followed the noise until she reached an area where everything went silent. A forest with no noise. It was odd, and worse, she needed to know why.
No bird songs. No insects chirping. Nothing. Even the wind had died down abruptly.
That should have been a clear signal to turn around and leave. Run back to the protection of the bandit crew and the big boss. But it only fueled her curiosity. What could have caused this situation? Why were the animals and insects so scared? Did they all die?
Her soul felt like bursting if she did not figure it out. So she kept moving forward against her better judgement.
At some point, the noise returned. Gradually but it felt odd. Fake. As though they were acting. Commanded to make as much noise as possible and replicate what a forest should have sounded. The bird songs were all off tune and timed wrong. The insect chirped out and about instead of under logs and hidden in shadows. She even saw squirrels and a hawk next to each other, uninterested in separating or chasing. Chirping and making forest sounds.
I should turn back—
That was when she got her first glimpse. Instantly, Hu Shui knew she had messed up.
"We should eat her." a voice roared in her head.
Hu Shui had gasped in shock. Terror filling her chest. She could already imagine the demonic voice consuming her.
"Quiet, fatty! Eating such pathetic meat would only ruin our cultivation," a second said. Voice much lower. Hu Shui felt a tinge of relief in her chest— "We should strip her of that beautiful skin! Let her suffer in agony for a thousand generations! How dare she stand before our master. Stare at his existence without the qualification to merely be in his presence!"
She felt herself sway back and forth. Forced to lean on the tree for balance. Her head thundered in dull beats. Like her heart had suddenly moved up there.
"Magerdon! You cruel wretch. Look how scared the little thing is." A new voice entered the discussion. "I bet she tastes horrible and her screams, quiet and unbecoming. Humans aren't known to be appetizing or entertaining."
"They're alright," The first responded. "Have to drink magma after to get the weird aftertaste…"
"Such weakling deserves to be destroyed…"
"No! We cannot just kill everything in our path…"
"I agree with Salimonarigon. Killing every insect is such a bother. There's always more of them under every unturned rock…"
"Enough!" A deep and powerful voice shook her very cultivation. Her knees buckled. "It is not our place to make that decision. It is Master's choice. Stay silent until he has announced his judgement."
Her teeth chattered. It took more effort than she knew she had in her tiny frame to keep from falling over. The old man's eyes locked onto her. Finally finding where she had been hiding. Not a single emotion crossed his stoic face.
Shui lowered her head. She felt oddly naked before him. As though he could see the depths of her soul. He was beyond the six auras that pressed on her. And each one a mountain compared to the Bandit Big Boss.
"Little girl," He spoke in an ancient dialect she had rarely heard. Long, pitch black beard and moustache covered his mouth.
He pointed at her. All six auras surged. Preparing to destroy her existence. Their killing intent bubbled and surged. Waiting for a moment's action. His finger arched back towards him. Calling her forward.
"Come here."
Each aura disappeared instantly. Retracting to the spear in the Old man's hand. They dared not make a sound. Who stood in front of her? What type of monster did she stumble into?
His eyes never left her figure. She had heard of demons taking advantage of little girls. The evil ones eating them. The other stories were horrible. Hu Shui couldn't help but imagine every single scenario possible. From him tearing her head off, torturing her for the rest of her life, and other more heinous thing he could do to her.
She had to fight against every instinct in her body. Everything was telling her to run for her life. Maybe the Silver Mountain Gang could help her. But she knew better. They would sell her to him as soon as he showed up. Just to save their own lives.
Approaching him made her shaking worse. Every step felt heavier. A walk to the gallows. She hadn't even noticed the tears and rips on her robes becoming wider due to taunt branches and thrones. Her eyes were locked on the old man.
She arrived before him. Stepping into his clearing. The smell of deep endless woods struck her senses. Purity unquestionable.
"Where are your parents, little one? It's dangerous out in the open."
Hu Shui's head rocketed up in shock. She couldn't believe her ears. The voice he spoke with had been filled with kindness. It struck her speechless. Was he faking it? People weren't that nice anymore. Everyone looked out for themselves.
No one should sound so compassionate. Or care for her. No one but Hu Jun.
"Behold!" The voice that shook her cultivation roared to the skies. "Our Master's mercy. In his great wisdom, he had chosen to pardon her of the many heinous crimes she committed!"
"Master is too kind!"
"Master's mercy knows no bounds!"
"Master…!"
"…!"
Chapter 9 | Hidden Tigers!
James stared at the startled little girl. He studied her pale face, her features only made it more obvious he was in an eastern setting. A few smudges made it seem like she had shadowed eyeliner. But he knew better than to assume she had access to any sort of makeup or toys like a child should.
Not with the condition her robes were in.
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Sickly. She tried to voice a single word multiple times, but ended up unable to say anything at all.
A frown grew on his face.
Do they work kids so hard in this world? They can't even talk anymore?
Even standing seemed like a monumental task for her .
The girl gulped at his expression. Taking a step back. Again she stumbled over her words struggling to put two or three coherent words together in a sentence. She was terrified of him. Terrified of the situation she found herself in.
She probably had a point.
He'd consider this already, but it was the truth. James was a random guy in the middle of a deep and thick forest. A stranger. Who knows what evils and monstrosities existed in these woods and under the foliage. Or worse yet, what type of people called these foreboding places home. Especially if society and civilization existed not too far away.
The existence of the little girl provided him enough evidence to know that said society did exist. She had to know the area like the back of her hand to be out here with no equipment. No bag, food, ropes, nothing that she would need to survive out here.
It meant adults were around somewhere. Real civilization he could take advantage of.
He could imagine it already. Buying his own land. Servants. Marrying a gorgeous twelve out of ten.
All he needed to do was convince the girl to take him back towards society. From there he can take care of himself instead of the wondering it would have required for him to figure it out by himself. A short cut to his goals.
The girl's eyes started to bubble up in tears.
Shit.
She started crying. Bawling like her life depended on it. She dropped to her knees and hugged herself like any normal kid her age would do. Sobbing uncontrollably. Only hiccups broke the rhythm she had built.
Shit! Shit! Shit! I made a kid cry the second I left the floating island!
James stabbed his spear into the ground. It sank without effort. He walked up to her and bent down next to her. He was afraid to touch the girl. Unsure what he was supposed to say. James had no clue what he was meant to do here? How was he supposed to get a kid to stop crying?
Pat her head? Did that even work?
Candy? He didn't recall getting any food rewards. A quick look proved him correct.
And he had no toys. Everything sharp and unfit for a child to carry. More liable to cut themselves in half than harm a tree.
He couldn't help but curse his luck. Almost any other situation and he would have made do. Give him the starting wolf quest. Or maybe even a single goblin to test his strength on. Anything that would have given him an idea of where his baseline was and who or what remained out of his league.
For all he knew currently. Anyone past basic cultivation could launch him to the moon with a fireball, earthquake, wind blades, and a hundred other techniques he had no answer to without direct access to Qi and techniques.
The understanding that he was physically dominant did not help in comparing that to superpowered freaks!
Fuck! This is too personal of a moment!
James hadn't seen a single person in what could have been a million years. He eventually settled on giving her a hug. Everyone liked hugs. Right? A neutral response to a difficult situation.
The girl leaned into him. He let out a mental relieved sigh—
She began crying even harder. His robe getting drenched in her tears. She rubbed her nose into the soft fabric, smearing it with snot and mucus. James closed his eyes. Fighting the urge to slowly hold her a distance away from himself. He would need to get changed if he wanted a good first impression on the new society they were going to meet after this.
It took a while, but she eventually calmed down. A soft hiccup broke the silence for some time.
"Old mister—"
Fuck she call me?! Old?! I'm not a day over twenty…
Twenty…
He couldn't remember how old he was back on earth. Nor did he know how long he had been on the isolated island.
Fuck…
By all metrics he knew and the majority he did not know, James was an Ancient Primordial Being. Human civilization back on earth had supposedly only existed for a short ten thousand years or something like that. James had been on the island for nearly a hundred times that on the short end.
He gulped. Watching as his 'finding love' prospects slowly disappeared before him.
"—my parents," the girl's voice was low. Soft and shy. A whisper he could barely hear. "They died."
James felt his breath hitch. He closed his eyes. Taking a few breaths to calm the abrupt shift in the air. He opened them and looked back at the girl.
Her eyes seemed glossed. Lost in memories and remembrances. Times of joy and eventually settling on something that made him frown deeply. Her expression changed, paling further than her already sickly color. James could feel her shake.
Not good memories. Horrible ones if he guessed correctly.
That was the cultivation world. Filled with the cruel and those that acted righteous but were equally as heinous. If even the perfect goody-two shoes Mc would eventually corrupt into a heartless, harem chasing killer, what chance did anyone else have from turning?
He doubted many would. Unless they were hidden under a rock, locked up in a cave, or up a mountain with no access to civilization.
It would be a miracle for a decent person to survive otherwise. Especially if they were forced to kill all their enemies lest they come back with more forces. Intending to kill you and yours without any mercy or thought.
Just hate and anger driving them forward.
Maybe, just maybe, being stuck on the floating island wasn't that bad.
It took a while for her to gather her bearings. Calming down. Breath even and eyes cleared from the vengeful memories that assaulted her. Everything came back to reality.
She jumped away from him. Face burning red. Her eyes flitted back and forth from the snot stains and drenched areas of tears. James needed her to return to the calm placid trust they had built. Especially if he wanted her to lead him back to civilization.
Qi was pulled from his body. The robe cleaned itself once more.
Her eyes became saucers.
James was finally in the real world with real people. He wanted to meet different kinds of folks. Laugh, share meals not made of rice, and experience the world in totality. Live everything he had missed during his isolated time.
But above all else.
Above even the buxom ladies and harems. He wanted to make friends and loved ones. People to care about and they in turn would care for him. James wasn't an idiot. He knew the difficulties he would face and the likely betrayal eventually. He had been given ample time to fall into deep thoughts on this matter.
How hard could it be to make friends?
James sucked at it back on earth. It felt nearly impossible with his work schedule. Wouldn't it be harder in an ancient world without conventional work hours? How would he meet people that would consider him, and they, family?
What about those that would take advantage of his resources? Throw him away as soon as it ran out.
Their love tied to his usefulness to them.
James needed to be careful.
"What's your name?" He said. Trying to keep the softest, nicest voice he could muster.
It wasn't much considering how raspy it was.
The girl kicked rocks. Hands behind her back. She mumbled words he could not hear. Even with his enhanced senses.
James pressed the matter. "What was that?"
She jumped. Eyes flitting left and right. Finally settling on his spear. Her face turned pale.
Is she afraid I would hurt her? Does my voice suck that much?
"Hu Shui!" She shouted.
James needed to calm her down. Regain control of the situation. It felt like something was working against him. Terrifying the girl every time he finally got her to relax in his presence.
Compliment her! She's a kid… say something.
"That's a beautiful name, Hu Shui," noting how the name came out perfectly even though he had no experience sounding words like that out. "Mine is James Anderson."
Hu Shui blinked. Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head. Confused. It made him mentally curse. Of course, this was an ancient eastern setting. English names did not exist here. Maybe he should have made something up—
"That's a long name, Old Mister—"
James struggled not to close his eyes. He wasn't that old.
"—and a very scary name." Hu Shui seemed incapable of looking him in the eyes.
It was his turn to look confused. "What do you mean?"
"Hidden Tiger, Beneath a Red Sun. Crouched under an Endless Canopy. Waiting for the Unwary Prey…" Hu Shui began wringing her sleeves before her eyes shot up to his face. Wide and shocked.
She stared at him for long moments. James wondered what mistake he committed this time. They seemed to pile up with his first and only interaction.
"Yin hu!"
"Hu what?"
She pointed a finger at him. Trembling. For the first time during their long interaction, she finally gazed deep into his eyes. "You!"
Me?!
"Y-you're the progenitor of my Hu Family!"
James's eyes twitched. The world seemed to shake and sway around him. Collapsing. A million and one curse words appeared in his mind. It was a perfect string that would have looped around the moon three times. How the hell had she concluded all that from his name? How could she tell he was supposed to be her greatest grandfather from James Anderson? Why did she keep trying to make him out to be old?
And what did that have to do with the poem bullshit she said before that…?
With the eloquence of an Ancient Primordial Being, he said. "Huh?!"